Bernie's Tavern — Restaurant in Hamilton

I found Bernie's Tavern on Instagram and it caught my eye. My partner and I had a good experience and glad to have found a good local spot that we can frequent. Parking here can be challenging though.

My partner and I visited Bernie's Tavern late in the afternoon on a Sunday. The establishment was relatively busy with a little more than half capacity filled with patrons. The service was a little bit slow, but not outrageous. We waited a little bit longer than expected to have our orders taken. The staff were courteous and friendly.

The drinks menu was diverse with a good variety of beer, wine and cocktails. My partner and I were happy to see Guinness on tap. My partner had a Caesar, which was good, but fairly standard Caesar. I ordered the burger, which my partner ordered the house salad an be added chicken. The salad and chicken portion was very generous. The itself was pretty good, but needed something a bit extra to be something special. I'm a bit of a burger enthusiast and I thought their smash burger was great. The burger was dressed with typical burger toppings, but they were fresh and quality ingredients. The bun was excellent too, which is an important, but often overlooked aspect of a quality burger. The burger came with loads really good fries - not too greasy, crispy sand the outside and fluffy on the inside. I ordered a side of curry ketchup which was OUTSTANDING. Very similar to a currywurst style ketchup.

My partner and I really liked the atmosphere of this place. The decor had the hip, rustic feel of a repurposed industrial shop. What's really cool is that Bernie's Tavern is associated, and connected, with Shorty's Pizza and 1101 Convenience. Shorty's Pizza is on the menu. Outdoors it looks like there is a substantial patio for when the weather is warmer. Can't wait to come back in the summer.

Parking can be difficult as it's only street parking, and houses on the closest street do not seem to have many driveways, so locals residents are also parking on the street. I recommend walking to Bernie's Tavern if you are local.

I'm close to giving Bernie's Tavern 5 stars, but it comes just a little short with the service being a tad slow, the menu being a little basic an me parking being very limited. 4.5 stars

UPDATE: I came back for brunch with my partner. We had The Cure Sandwich and Bernie's Benny. The Benny was alright, but The Cure was incredible. It was like a breakfast smash burger, but instead of a beef patty it had a bacon patty, a fried egg and two slices of American cheese. The home fries were really good - crispy sand lightly seasoned. I also have to call out the Peach Habanero Hot Sauce from Mitch's Craft Kitchen. It's on the sweeter side, but also...

(Review of Bernie's, after the conversion from Osten) Bike-friendly back patio, delicious food but small portions for the cost (let's blame inflation!), and a refreshingly young, happy crowd. It was nice to see the other Youngs out in my neighbourhood for once. I can see this becoming the kind of West-end Toronto hotspot I miss so much since moving back to Hamtown.

I have had a hell of a time finding bike-friendly patios and was really happy that Bernie's has an open back patio you can roll your bikes up to and actually sit near them. No need to back-pocket a u-lock for that race bike! This makes me unreasonably happy after so many bad experiences with restaurants and their unfriendliness to cyclists.

We ordered the hummus and pickle platter ($16ish?) and a Cobb salad ($18ish?) to share. Both were delicious, but again, portion sizes were disappointing.

The hummus and pickle platter came with excellent, warm, roasty bread, and pickles that were probably made in-house, with delicious grainy-but-not-chewy hummus. I was really disappointed in the portion size sadly, and could easily have eaten a Costco sized amount of this hummus. The bread-to-food ratio was a bit off, which left me dipping bread in my salad dressing.

The Cobb salad had wonderful flavours and a reasonable portion, and made me wish we had ordered two instead of getting the hummus and pickles. Crispy fried onions, sundried tomatoes and a delicious dressing. We actually considered ordering a second.

They had $5 Fairweather (6% High Grade IPA?), which was a great surprise. I feel like the pricing is reversed, the food is expensive and the beer is cheap! Part of me likes this, but I would love a place to get a big bowl of food after a hard bike ride and a single beer.

I never made it to Osten before the conversion to Bernie's in spring 2022, so I can't compare the experience between the two incarnations.

I hope they realign the portion sizes and prices, but maybe that's just the world we live in now, but I still feel like I'll be back anyway after hot summer rides to have a beer before riding the few blocks home. It must be hard to run a restaurant when food prices go up 5%...

Bernie’s Tavern offers a unique ambiance that blends urban decay with steel-town nostalgia. The exterior is somewhat uninviting, but once inside, the atmosphere is vibrant and full of character—reminiscent of an old-school auto garage meets a gritty bar. The music and overall ambiance score a solid 8/10.

Service is a standout feature. The staff is friendly, welcoming, and attentive, contributing significantly to the experience (8/10).

The menu is well-built, avoiding the pitfalls of overcomplicated fusion concepts while offering a solid selection of craft beers and local options.

Food & Pricing Double Smash Burger with Waffle Fries – The burger was flavorful, with fresh condiments (7/10), while the waffle fries were crisp and perfectly executed (10/10). Price: $25.00 Thursday Special: Detroit-Style Pizza & Wings – The pizza, approximately 10x10 inches (small to be honest) was doughy (as expected for Detroit-style) but slightly underwhelming in flavour (6/10). The wings, while well-seasoned and properly cooked, appeared to be fewer than a full pound (7/10). Price: $35.00 Drinks – One draft beer and two Pepsis.

Total cost (including tip): $85.14

Bill $ 70.95 Tip 20% $14.19 (well deserved tip)

Final Verdict Bernie’s delivers on ambiance, service, and food quality, but its pricing structure is a concern. While the venue and experience justify a visit, the value-for-money ratio is lacking, especially given the portion sizes

In today’s economic climate, affordability and portion expectations play a key role in dining choices.

Would I return? Yes—but I’d be selective in my ordering to maximize value.

Overall...